Motor unit for toy locomotives



April 30, 1929.

H. c. vlvEs 1,710,702

MOTOR UNIT FOR TOY LOCOMOTIVES Original Filed June 20, 1927 Z INVENTO of yar/'y y/ffeu, 9 BY 27 F 5k l? ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 30, 1929.

1,710,702 PATENT OFFICE.

'HARRY C. IVES, OF BRIDGE-PORT, T IVES CORPORATION, OF CONNECTICUT.

y MOTOR UNIT FOR Application filed June 20, 1927, Serial No. 199,926.

. The present invention relates to improvements in motor units for toylocomotives, and has for an object to provide a structure of this kindof simple and inexpensive construction,

which may be quickly assembled without the use of solder and taken apart'ior repairs and Y the like without the necessity o'l disassembling theframe structure. Herctotore it has beennecessary, in order to obtainaccess to the motor, to separate the side frame plates so that it hasbeen impracticable for the owners of the locomotives to repair them, andit has been the custom to return the motor to the iactory for repairs.This has been particularly 15 true with electric toy locomotives, andvery often the trouble is merely a disconnected wire, which it the ownerhad ready access to the interior of the motor unit, could be repaired byhim. 20. It is proposed in the, present invention, there-tore, toprovide a motor frame structure including preferably ot insulatingmaterial, a panel, secured in such manner to the lower portion of thetrame that it may be readily 25 removed without disturbing the framestructure, and when used in connection with an electric locomotive, itis proposed to provide means 'fior easily assembling wires and proper:tastenings for connections on such panel which may then be secured inplace. I am aware that panels have previously been used and that wireshave been carried thereby, but f means of lat.

these'panels were secured by erally extending lugs provided upon themtrame, so that in order to remove the panel it was necessary to separatethe side pieces.

The present embodiment consists particularly.

in providingl fixed supporting struts between lthe side plates, and towhich the panel is secured by screws or the like, so that it may readilyremoved by merely disengaging the screws.

With the above and other objects in view, an embodiment o'tth'e'invent-ion is shown in the accompanying drawings, and thisembodiment will hereinafter be more fully described with referencethereto, 'and the invention will be finally pointedout in the claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is aside elevation of an electric toy locomotivemotor unit. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is avertical'sectional view taken along the 4line 3, 3- oi Fig. 1.

and engaged in slots in the side pieces ot' the.

ber

` gaged through CORPORATION TOY IiOCOMOTIVE-S.

Renewed October 27, 1928.

l Fig. i is a top plan view of the separated panel.

5 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. G is a perspective view oit vone of the strut members employed, andto which the panel is adapted to be removably secured.

Similar reference characters indicate correspending part-s throughoutthe several igvures ot the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the toy locomotive motor frame comprises sideplates 10 and 11 secured in spaced relation by transverse posts 12,preferably at the four corners and between these plates the electricmotor 13 is mounted, and is provided with suitable gear ing 14 whichmeshes with gears 15 provided upon the wheels 16, the latter beingmounted upon axles 17 journaled in the side plates. This type ofmotor'is adapted to receive its current from the rails, being groundedupon one rail and having contact means adapted to engage another rail,said contact means being carried upon the removable panel, constitutingthe main feature ot the present invention. y

The i'rame is provided directly beneath the axles 17 with strut erbrace' members 18 secured in place by means of lugs 19 provided uponeach end and engaged in slots 2O provided in the side plates, Vthesebrace members being provided substantially centrally with the threadedhole 21, for attachment of the panel, as will presently more fullyappear, and further provided with a groove 22 pressed therein andadapted to straddle and position one of the lead wires. Adjacent eachend of the brace members there are provided holes 23 disposed in suchrelation to the bearings of the axles oiled through these holes.

The panel 24 formed of fibre or other suit able insulating material isof substantially rectangular shape and is adapted to be fitted betweenthe side plates and to engage the under sides of the brace members 18,and to be secured thereto by means of screws Q5 enholes 26 in the paneland screwed into the threaded holes 21 in the brace members. Holes 27are provided in the panel in registering relation with the oil holes 23of the brace members, so that the wheel axles may be oiled with thepanel in place. At each end of the panel and at its under side there areprovided contact rollers 28 rotatably mounted in box-like bearing supapermanent part ymotor are carriedupon the ports 29 secured to the panelby means of lugs 30 engaged through slots provided in the panel and bentover from the upper side thereof. Substantially centrally of the upperside of the panel there is secured a spring terminal clip 31, the lugs30 of the contact element-s being electrically connected to this clip bymeans of lead Wires 32 and 33, and the clip being connected to the motorby means of a flexible lead wire 34. The spring clip is of suchconstruction that the lead wire 34 may be readily disconnectedtherefrom. In the attached position of the panel, lead wires 32, whichare covered with suitable insulation and other wires if desired, may beretained in position by engaging Within the grooves 22 provided in thetransverse brace members 18, as clearly indicated in Figs. 2 and 3.

The panel, it will be noted, constitutes a closure for the motor framecompletely protecting the interior thereof, but when it is desired forthe purpose of repair or examination to obtain access to the interior ofthe frame, it is only necessary to remove the screws 25 and disconnectthe lead wire 34 from the clip 31, whereupon the interior of the motoris completely exposed and repairs may be made therein, or upon thepanel.

Obviously this may be conveniently done by anyone without requiring muchskill or knowledge of mechanics, no soldering being needed, and repairsthat would otherwise necessitate returning the motor to the factory canordinarily be made by the owner ofthe toy locomotive. The brace members18 constitute of the frame and serve to provide additional reinforcementtherefor, and While they provide suflicient support for the panel, theydo not in any way interfere with the accessibility of the motor partsupon removal of the panel. `In addition to the advantage of facilitatingrepairs to the motor,the present construction greatly simplifies andfacilitates the manufacture and assembly of the motor unit. I have shownthe motor unit as provided with an electric motor, in which case certainof the lead wires and the contact elements co-operating with theremovable panel, but it is obvious that the invention also contemplatesa motor frame provided with spring, momentum drive, or other types ofmotors.

I have illustrated and described a preferred and satisfactory embodimentof the invention, but it will be obvious that changes may bemadetherein, within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the appendedclaims.

Having thus described I claim and desire ent is:

1. In a toy locomotive motor frame, a pair of side plates, meanssecuring said side plates together in spaced relation, a motor carriedto secure by Letters Patmy invention, what between said side plates, aclosure panel, and securing means therefor adapted to secure the sametransversely between said side plates and permitting removal of saidpanel without separation of said side plates.

2. In a toy locomotive motor frame, a pair of side plates, meanssecuring said side plates together in spaced relation, a motor carriedbetween said side plates, transverse strut means secured between saidside plates, and a closure panel removably secured to Said transversestrut means.

3. In a toy locomotive motor frame, a pair of side plates, meanssecuring said side plates together in spaced relation, a motor carriedtween said side plates, said side plates being provided with aligned andspaced slots adjacent their lower edges, transverse strut means havingend lugs engaged in said slots, and a closure panel removably secured tothe under side of said strut means.

4. In a toy locomotive motor frame, a pair of side plates, meanssecuring said side plates together in spaced relation, a motor carriedbetween said side plates, a pair of wheel axles transversely journaledin said side plates, wheels carried by said axles, transverse strutmea-ns secured between said side plates in spaced relation beneath. saidwheel axles, and a closure panel removably secured to the under side ofsaid strut means.

5. In a toy locomotive motor frame, of side plates, means securing saidside together in spaced relation, between said side plates, a pair ofwheel axles transversely journaled in said side plates, wheels carriedby said axles, transverse strut means secured between said side platesin spaced relation beneath said wheel axles, and a closure panelremovably secured to the a pair plates a motor carried be oiled throughsaid holes.

6. In a toy locomotive motor frame, a pair of side plates, meanssecuring said side plates together in spaced relation, an electric motorcarried between said side plates, a closure panel, and securing meanstherefor adapted to secure the same transversely between said sideplates and permitting removal of said panel without separation of saidside plates, and rail contact means carried by said closure panel.

7 In a toy locomotive motor frame, a pair side plates, means securingsaid side plates together in spaced relation, an electric motor carriedbetween said side plates, a closure panel, and securing means thereforadapted to secure the same transversely between said side plates andpermitting removal of said panel without separation of said side plates,rail contact means carried by said closure panel at its under side, andlead Wires carried by said closure panel at its upper side.

8. In a toy locomotive motor Jframe, a pair of side plates, meanssecuring said side plates together in spaced relation, an electric motorcarried between said side plates, a closure panel, and securing meanstherefor adapted to secure the same transversely between said sideplates and permitting removal ot said panel without separation of saidside plates, rail Contact means carried by said closure panel at itsunder side, lead wires carried by said closure panel at its upper side,a terminal clip carried by said closure panel at its upper side andengaged by said lead wires, and a lead wire connected to the motor andremovably connected to said terminal clip.

9. ln a toy locomotive motor trame, a pair of side plates, meanssecuring said side plates together in spaced relation, an electric motorcarried between said side plates, transverse strut means carried betweensaid side plates and having grooved portions transversely thereof, aclosure panel removably secured to the under side of said strut means,rail contact means carried by said closure panel at its under side andoutwardly of said strut means, and lead Wires carried by said closurepanel at its upper side, connected to said rail contact means andpositioned and retained by said grooved port-ions ot said strut means.

l0. ln a toy locomotive motor trame, a pair of side plates, meanssecuring` said side plates together in spaced relation, amotor carriedbetween said side plates, a closure panel positioned transverselybetween the lower part o said plates and adapted to be removed Withoutseparation of said plates.

Signed at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, this 7th day of June, A. D. 1927.

HARRY C. IVES.

